There’s money to spend

Think Smith has been hung out a bit by Robinson and it wouldn’t have gone unnoticed by other clubs who will think twice about loaning us any players..

Smith didn’t get a fair crack in the team and didn’t get a run of game to develop any partnerships or understandings.

Mackie is knackered. He has nothing in the tank and needs a week or two full rest if he’s going to be any use in the next few weeks.
 
Think Smith has been hung out a bit by Robinson and it wouldn’t have gone unnoticed by other clubs who will think twice about loaning us any players..

Smith didn’t get a fair crack in the team and didn’t get a run of game to develop any partnerships or understandings.

Mackie is knackered. He has nothing in the tank and needs a week or two full rest if he’s going to be any use in the next few weeks.

Smith would of needed to prove himself in training to be considering as a first team starter. It was clear he will be a good player, he showed that in the Tin pot games against he U23 sides. He isn't however, ready to play consistently at league 1 level where you are going to get less time on the ball and kicked about a bit.
I'd even go as far to say Bradbury is more ready for league 1 football than Smith is yet Smith is technically a better player.

I'm also not sure many clubs will be bothered if 1 of our loan players didn't get much game time. If they did then they would also notice the progress Browne has made since being here.

Just because championship or premier league clubs want their players to start every game, those players still need to prove they are better than what we have already to earn a start. Mackie always offered more to the team than Smith did.
 
Mackie has done what it said on the tin but Smith has not been as ready for first team football as most seemed to think, meaning that Mackie has had to play more than had been expected.

Two points:
  • Robbo bought the wrong tin, then.
  • Whatever 'some thought' only one person waited all summer for a player who, when it turned up, was simply not worth playing.
Conclusion: it would be imprudent to put much faith in Robbo's forthcoming flail about in the January sales.
 
And his goal scoring record!

Absolutely agree with Junior.

For the record, 3 goals from 25 app (19 starts of which 13 in the league) for Super Mackie whereas the maligned Sam Smith got 3 from 23 app of which only 5 LEAGUE starts. Say what you like about Sam Smith, he was never given a fair crack.
 
More money.
Premier league football.
Works with a top manager in Rafa.

So Rafa thinks Roofe is the miracle worker who will keep them up? ?
IMO Roofe would do better to remain at Leeds, who I think will gain promotion, if he does well in his first season he'll be sold for a far better price.
 
Think Smith has been hung out a bit by Robinson and it wouldn’t have gone unnoticed by other clubs who will think twice about loaning us any players..

Smith didn’t get a fair crack in the team and didn’t get a run of game to develop any partnerships or understandings.

Mackie is knackered. He has nothing in the tank and needs a week or two full rest if he’s going to be any use in the next few weeks.
Browne will be getting the attention for the way we develop loanees, Smith by and large will be seen as a player who was not ready rather than a negative reflection on the us. Clubs and youth programmes are sensible enough to realise that not every move will work out. It is only fans who expect miracles!
 
Absolutely agree with Junior.

For the record, 3 goals from 25 app (19 starts of which 13 in the league) for Super Mackie whereas the maligned Sam Smith got 3 from 23 app of which only 5 LEAGUE starts. Say what you like about Sam Smith, he was never given a fair crack.

But Mackie has offered far more and helps bring the likes of Browne, Whyte and Henry into the game. Smith was given lots of opportunities at the beginning of the season but made no impact either with scoring or hold up play. He will develop and will become a better player, but let's not rewrite history to suggest he was better than he was.
 
Absolutely agree with Junior.

For the record, 3 goals from 25 app (19 starts of which 13 in the league) for Super Mackie whereas the maligned Sam Smith got 3 from 23 app of which only 5 LEAGUE starts. Say what you like about Sam Smith, he was never given a fair crack.
I'm not much into stats as they can be presented different ways.
If I had the choice on what I've seen from two poor strikers, I think Mackie for me as he tries to brings other players into the game.
The worrying thing for me is the goals they never scored to get in the first team, neither player really pressed his claim by knocking in the goals against maybe lesser teams, you can't blame no one for that apart from the player.
 
Smith hasn’t had a fair crack imo. He’s also been publicly knocked by Robinson which won’t help a young lad trying to find his way and establish his self. That side of things will also annoy the parent club as it’ll effect the player more than a poor run of games.
 
Think Smith has been hung out a bit by Robinson and it wouldn’t have gone unnoticed by other clubs who will think twice about loaning us any players.

That cuts both ways, and really isn’t that realistic. Plenty of loans at plenty of clubs have gone poorly, and still clubs loan other clubs players.

It won’t have gone unnoticed that chances were given to Mitchell and Garbutt ahead of others whose registrations we owned.

Don’t forget loan players train with us too; and presumably he wasn’t cutting the mustard there too much either.

We all hoped it would have gone better than it did, and no one shall be surprised to see Smith score goals for another club soon.

But in no way have Oxford United behaved poorly in his management.
 
Smith hasn’t had a fair crack imo. He’s also been publicly knocked by Robinson which won’t help a young lad trying to find his way and establish his self. That side of things will also annoy the parent club as it’ll effect the player more than a poor run of games.

When players are out on loan their parent clubs really don't take much notice of whats going on. They will be getting reports on Smith as and when they want them. They will also be talking to the player but also talking to the coaching staff/recruitment team. The main thing they will care about is how the player has been doing in training and matches. The answer there is a simple one of not good enough.

Take Napa as an example of one our players. He should be good enough to start week in, week out for Macclesfield but he can't even make their bench (they decided to have 6 subs rather than 7 on Saturday even though Napa could of filled that place). I'm sure all the staff at OUFC will care about is why isn't he getting picked and Macclesfield staff will explain why.
 
Also......and plenty will disagree......my annoyance with KR on Saturday was his decision to exclude McMahon and Smith from the matchday squad THUS weakening the bench and his options. I suggest it was a stunt to once again, make the point known to Tiger, that he needs cash to spend and a 'cry' of look how weak we are.

Whatever one thinks of either player, sending one off back to Reading and allowing the other (in and out of the team/squad since his arrival) to be excluded, was ridiculous when you can't even bring in reinforcements or replacements. No offence to young Spasov or Lopes but what chance have you really got to win a game or make something happen - at least Smith and McMahon were 'first team'/'senor' players by comparison.

A foolish mistake by Robinson.

Only three players started on Saturday were Karl's signings. As for Holmes (another setback I hear) - it's time to cut the emotion and send him back.
 
Tony Mc should be fixed up with a new Northern rival league one club (two are after him) very soon.
 
It's the same old story. Players who barely get a mention whilst playing are suddenly hard done by the moment they're dropped. Carroll was naive and with a bad attitude, Rothwell was injury prone and too lightweight, but the moment they're released they become world beaters. A few months ago everyone was calling for Smith to be dropped and many would have released him in October if we could. But once he is released, suddenly Robinson never gave him a chance. I'm sure we'll have the summer thing in the summer when we release Jon "Goal Machine" Obika!!!!
 
When players are out on loan their parent clubs really don't take much notice of whats going on. They will be getting reports on Smith as and when they want them. They will also be talking to the player but also talking to the coaching staff/recruitment team. The main thing they will care about is how the player has been doing in training and matches. The answer there is a simple one of not good enough.

Take Napa as an example of one our players. He should be good enough to start week in, week out for Macclesfield but he can't even make their bench (they decided to have 6 subs rather than 7 on Saturday even though Napa could of filled that place). I'm sure all the staff at OUFC will care about is why isn't he getting picked and Macclesfield staff will explain why.
He's currently Injured he put something about it a few weeks ago on Instagram
 
Personally, I don’t believe Smith was up to it, especially the system we play which makes it all the more strange as to why Robinson made him his number one target in the summer, but like Simon said above, why would you send him back when you’ve not got other options on the bench, apart from showing Tiger the victim mode!!
 
Personally, I don’t believe Smith was up to it, especially the system we play which makes it all the more strange as to why Robinson made him his number one target in the summer, but like Simon said above, why would you send him back when you’ve not got other options on the bench, apart from showing Tiger the victim mode!!
He was Tigers no 1 target, not KR.
 
Personally, I don’t believe Smith was up to it, especially the system we play which makes it all the more strange as to why Robinson made him his number one target in the summer, but like Simon said above, why would you send him back when you’ve not got other options on the bench, apart from showing Tiger the victim mode!!
What impact has Smith had when coming off the bench?
 
Personally, I don’t believe Smith was up to it, especially the system we play which makes it all the more strange as to why Robinson made him his number one target in the summer, but like Simon said above, why would you send him back when you’ve not got other options on the bench, apart from showing Tiger the victim mode!!


If you are right with your beliefs regarding Smith, then we must question why KR put so much emphasis in chasing his signature throughout the summer. If Tiger does have a reasonable amount of money for strengthening the squad, is KR the right person to spend it. His adulation of players he tried so hard to sign but was overruled ie, Ranger and others along with his excitement in the signing of Jordan Graham, makes you wonder if he can actually cut the mustard with. Club like OUFC.
 
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